Healthcare workers risk occupational exposures to chemical, biological, or radiological materials when a hospital receives contaminated patients, particularly during mass casualty incidents.
These hospital employees, who may be termed first receivers, work at a site remote from the location where the hazardous substance release occurred.This means that their exposures are limited to the substances transported to the hospital on victims’ skin, hair, clothing, or personal effects (Horton et al., 2003).
The location and limited source of contaminant distinguishes first receivers from other first responders (e.g., firefighters, law enforcement, and ambulance service personnel), who typically respond to the incident site (i.e., the Release Zone).
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